Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Woman's Weekly Living Series

BEE KIND POTS As we start to pot up our summer plants, refresh the display with these high-quality containers. They feature a pretty bee design and remind us of the role that these insects play in our everyday lives. From £8.99-29.99, Woodlodge at garden centres. GROWBAG CONTAINER The first growing bag container on legs, Forest Garden designed this FSC-certified timber planter to hold a standard growing bag for tomatoes and other crops. It cleverly features a cross beam to hold your support canes and is a great way to hide a colourful bag. Height 60cm. £74.99; for stockists, visit forestgarden.co.uk SOUTHWOLD LOBSTER POT Now’s the time to place supports over emerging perennials to stop them flopping across paving and paths. This stylish lobster pot, handmade in Suffolk from steel, will…

Enhancing a dull wall, this cleverly angled mirror is surrounded by a frame that creates a false sense of perspective to the garden view reflected within. This illusion appears to be a garden room beyond, giving an impression of greater space within this small corner. ‘The original mirror was designed for indoors and wasn’t waterproof, so it soon fell to bits,’ recalls Jill. Michael then took it apart and numbered each part before using them as a template. ‘He cut new sections from exterior-grade plywood, and then reassembled the pieces. It looks as good as new.’…

1 NEPETA X FAASSENII AGM Bees love the nectar-rich lavender-blue flowers of this compact catmint, which are complemented by caramel-scented, silver-green foliage. Good drainage is non-negotiable if you want to grow it in a pot. H: 2ft (60cm). 2 JASMINUM BEESIANUM The pinky-red flowers give off a heady aroma. Needs a tall frame of bamboo or hazel sticks to climb up, and looks lovely tumbling over the sides of the pot. Hardy and evergreen in milder areas. H: 13ft (4m). 3 DIANTHUS ‘MRS SINKINS’ Exudes a delicious clove scent on warm days – it’s the quintessential cottage-garden smell. The calyxes of the white blooms often split, giving a rather scruffy look; for a more uniform flower, grow ‘Haytor White’. H: 10in (25cm). 4 PELARGONIUM ‘ROYAL OAK’ AGM Heat releases the…

1 Prepare to plant a woven hanging basket with May flowering alpine plants. Having punctured the plastic liner, fill the basket ¾ full with compost specially formulated for container gardening, mixed with 20% horticultural grit to improve drainage. 2 Place the tallest plant, the Dianthus ‘Pixie Star’ pink, in the centre of the basket. Plant a mossy clump of Saxifraga ‘White Star’ beside the edge. 3 Next door, plant a spiky mound of sea thrift, Armeria maritima ‘Nifty Thrifty’. Plant the phlox close to the edge, so it can trail over. 4 Next goes sea campion, Silene maritima. Leave space on either side, as this vigorous little number will soon fill it. 5 Finally, firm in the cranesbill, Geranium cantabrigiense ‘Westray’. 6 The basket is now newly planted with alpines…

✣ A 43cm (17in) diameter wooden garden riddle (£17.99, Greenkey at Amazon) ✣ A heavy-duty, black plastic bin liner ✣ Gravel ✣ General-purpose potting compost ✣ 1 pot of Lewisia cotyledon ‘Elise White’ ✣ 1 pot of pink moss phlox (Phlox subulata ‘McDaniel’s Cushion’) ✣ 1 pot of silver thyme (Thymus ‘Silver Queen’) ✣ 1 pot common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) ✣ 1 pot each of pinks Dianthus ‘Aztec Star’ and ‘Pink Kisses’ ✣ 1 pot of sea pinks (Armeria maritima) ✣ 1 pot of variegated ivy (Hedera helix ‘Variegata’)…

ASPARAGUS AND GARLIC PRAWN SPAGHETTI Asparagus adds a lovely freshness and a crunch to this classic chilli, garlic and prawn pasta dish SERVES 2 ✣250g (9oz) spaghetti ✣250g (9oz) British asparagus ✣2tbsp butter ✣2tbsp olive oil ✣3 cloves garlic, crushed ✣200g (7oz) raw prawns ✣ ¼tsp Italian seasoning ✣75ml (3fl oz) vegetable stock ✣1tsp sriracha ✣juice of ½ a lemon ✣ ½tsp crushed chilli flakes (optional) 1 Put the spaghetti on to boil in a large pan of salted water. Trim the asparagus and cut each spear into three. 2 Heat 1tbsp butter and 1tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and fry for 1 min. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for a couple of mins, stirring occasionally. Remove the asparagus and set aside. In…

Allium Alliums with their purple, white or pink spheres add grace and structure to any border. The ornamental onion has real architectural presence and for decades designers have used the plant to grace the prestigious show gardens of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. For the best effect, plant several different species and varieties that have varying heights and flowering times. In autumn, choose mixed bulb selections, which include tall and shorter varieties, such as ‘Purple Sensation’, known for its bold, mauve globes on tall stems in May, and Allium cristophii with much larger heads of small star-like mauve flowers on short stems, in June. The flowers of both are adored by bees and other pollinators. Alliums readily self-seed to crop up elsewhere in the garden, and the dried seed heads…

SUNFLOWER ‘PRO CUT PLUM’ Early to flower and reliable, the muted tones of this sunflower are intriguing. Height 1.5-1.8m tall. A packet of seed costs £2.85, from plantsofdistinction.co.uk; 01449 721720. PETUNIA ‘MYSTICAL MIDNIGHT GOLD’ We love the unusual blend of creamy yellow flowers with very dark centres, perfect for hanging baskets or containers – and the small blooms are weather resistant, too. Five postiplugs cost £12.99, thompsonmorgan .com; 0333 400 0033. SWEET PEA ‘NIGHTINGALE’ Introduced to honour our amazing NHS healthcare workers, this sweet pea is guaranteed to make a splash in pots or borders. Highly fragrant. Height 1.8m tall. £2.40 for 25 seeds, from mr-fothergills.co.uk; 0333 777 3936.…

GARDENERS Jill and Michael Hill. LOCATION Fareham, Hampshire. LANDSCAPED The summer house and pond were built several decades ago, and the intervening years have brought new features as each area of the sixth-of-an-acre garden has been revamped and then updated. SPECIAL FEATURES This irregularly shaped plot is cleverly laid out to accommodate a summer house, pond, bridge, sunny and shady courtyards, borders of choice plants, a greenhouse, artfully placed mirrors, a rose moon gate, raised beds, and inviting paths. ASPECT South-facing. SOIL TYPE Heavy clay. PROBLEMS Originally, the plot was completely overgrown with brambles which took several years to fully clear. INSPIRATION Visiting other gardens, especially while on annual holidays in Cornwall which have inspired a number of projects.…

1 Measure the available space in your garden, and shortlist roses that fill it comfortably. 2 Prepare a support that is sturdy enough for the chosen plant. 3 Smell as many flowering 4 roses as possible. Look for varieties awarded an AGM (RHS Award of Garden Merit), an indicator of good disease resistance. 5 Whittle a shortlist down to those that suit the aspect – full sun or partial shade. 6 Attach to the shadier side of the support, allowing the plant to grow towards the light. 7 The planting hole should allow space for the roots to spread. 8 Mulch with well-rotted manure to feed, retain moisture and suppress weeds. 9 Secure developing shoots to the support with expandable ties. 10 Dead-head to prolong flowering, unless autumn hips are…

Potted carrots Q I love carrots. Is it possible to grow them in tubs on my sunny patio? A Carrots are tolerant and willing vegetables, and tub growing is straightforward. Where only shallow 15cm deep containers are available, consider short-rooted Amsterdam types or even spherical Paris Market types that sit on top of the soil. Nantes cylindrical carrots are the most productive for tubs where the potting media is at least 40cm deep. Where containers are less than 40cm, Chantenay carrots are suitable, with their stumpy conical roots. Chantenay types have a particularly good flavour, especially when pulled while still young. Sow seeds now, 12mm deep, and aim for about 60 plants per square metre for early crops and larger roots; for later ones, 150 per square metre for more…

✣ Position in an open sunny spot, not beneath trees. ✣ Grow in free-draining, open compost with grit. ‘For long-term planting, we use John Innes No 2 with roughly 6mm gravel added in various proportions, from 25% to 70%,’ says Wendy. ✣ Plant slightly proud of the compost. Water and allow the compost to settle. Planting needs to be firm. ✣ Once the compost has settled, top dress with gravel, pushing beneath the lower leaves to ensure the neck of the plant doesn’t have moisture around it. ✣ Position pieces of rock diagonally across the trough to form planting areas, which will give added planting depth. ✣ Many alpines have root systems below the surface to take available moisture from the rock faces of crevices as weathering occurs. ✣ Troughs…

If your hanging basket never has sufficient space, then try packing in alpines that like similar conditions in terms of soil, situation and light, and have compatible flowering times and growth rates. Before planting, position the plants in an empty basket to ensure they are not overcrowded, with the tallest in the centre. Sea campion, for example, develops with surprising speed, so place on the outside of the basket and it soon spills over the edges with scores of dainty white flowers. Moss phlox is another fast developer, with different varieties bearing white, pink or striped flowers. Sea thrift, on the other hand, forms mats of needle-like leaves that anchor the papery pink flowers – it is best placed in the centre from where it rises above the other plants.…

Nothing tastes as fresh and flavoursome as newly harvested fruit, vegetables and herbs, especially when they come with the great sense of fulfilment and healthy living to be had from growing your own. Since the pandemic hit, many a garden lawn has been dug up or borders emptied to make way for a kitchen garden. However, then comes the tricky bit — faced with rack upon rack of tempting packets of seeds, what to choose? ‘When it comes to choosing what to grow, focus on what you like to eat’ The key deciders hinge on the amount of space, time, energy and mouths to feed that you have. Few are blessed with a large garden, but being short of space need not limit variety because many seed companies produce ‘mini…

From donating home-grown food to gifting flowers to key workers and maintaining our all-important green spaces, the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom campaign is about so much more than making places look beautiful. With community groups carrying on gardening throughout the pandemic, we can take inspiration from some of the ways they’ve harnessed their green-fingered skills to help others. Lifting spirits Lockdown saw hundreds of groups rally around their communities, continuing to plant up and care for their local areas, while finding creative new ways to bring the outside in to those who were shielding or vulnerable. Some gave virtual tours of their floral displays and green spaces, sharing these on social media. Others ran socially distanced plant swaps or dropped off sunflower seedlings on doorsteps to bring a…

Pint-sized gardens demand gallons of imagination, and the smaller the plants, the greater the variety that can be grown in a limited space. This is where alpine plants come into their own, flowering profusely between early spring and summer with the cutest of flowers in a range of vibrant hues, often allied with handsome foliage. Mostly sun-loving and not good in wet conditions, alpines take readily to small beds, rock gardens or raised beds and, even in the most cramped courtyard or balcony, thrive in all manner of containers ranging from broad bowls to Belfast sinks, or traditional stone troughs that raise them up so that the delicate foliage and exquisite flowers can be enjoyed at close range. Resilient by nature, alpines are ideal for novice gardeners and need little…

Campanula cochlearifolia forms small clumps of rounded bright green leaves, topped by clusters of light blue flowers. Erodium x variabile ‘Bishop’s Form’, a spreading form bearing vibrant pink flowers through the summer, above dense mounds of foliage. Geranium sanguineum ‘Max Frei’ is a compact geranium that carries large, flat, saucer-shaped bright lilac-pink flowers. Lewisia cotyledon hybrid are evergreen perennials with rosettes of succulent leaves and long sprays of funnel-shaped pink flowers. Sisyrinchium ‘Devon Skies’ is an evergreen perennial that forms low tufts and clusters of starry, sky-blue flowers, all summer long. Veronica prostata ‘Nestor’, a mat-forming, ground cover evergreen perennial that sends up short spires of pale blue flowers. Phlox x procumbens ‘Variegata’, a baby phlox with pink flowers that quickly forms low cushions with vivid rose pink flowers.…

✣ Choose crops with a higher yield but, when choosing between different varieties, beware of sacrificing flavour for quantity. ✣ Experiment with different varieties of tomato, to discover which ones do best in your garden’s conditions. ✣ Each week, feed your crop with specially formulated tomato fertiliser. ✣ Container-grown tomatoes should be turned weekly, to prevent the plant from growing in a lopsided way. ✣ Watch out for greenfly or aphids – a quick remedy for the unsqueamish is to simply pick them out and squash between your fingers! ✣ Split or cracked fruit indicates fluctuating temperatures or water supply and is helped by ensuring a constant level of soil moisture. ✣ At the end of the season, lift the plants and compost, placing green fruit in a drawer next…

The majority of The Wonky Garden’s plants are great for pollinators and wildlife, producing a range of colours and textures, and buckets of flowers with a great vase life and glorious scents. Where practical, seeds are sown direct into the ground and the rest are sown in seed trays. Here the Wonky Gardener’s share their top plant picks… ✣ Perennial garden pinks come in beautiful pastels with a heavenly fragrance, last for two to three weeks in a vase and will survive the hardest of winters. ✣ Peruvian lily (also called alstroemeria) is another fine perennial. It’s probably our top producer. They’re a bit pricey to buy, but one or two plants will give you ten years of incredible blooms in the most beautiful colours. Picking these flowers is a…